The Gold or the Soul?
by livvykitty
Summary: Alfred, rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard! 'Cause Hell's broke loose in Georgia and the Devil plays it hard! If you win you get this shiny fiddle made of gold, but if you lose the Devil gets your soul!


**A/n: Me and my dad were listening to 'The Devil Goes Down to Georgia' and I got the idea for this fanfic! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or the Charlie Daniels Band! **

**Features Fiddler! America and Devil! England (do you see the irony? England is always trying to summon the devil…)**

**THIS IS NOT A YAOI! IT ISN'T! It's just a story that has no romance!**

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Arthur had traveled all the way down to Georgia. He felt his stomach rumble uncomfortably in his stomach, screeching for food. He sighed. Not having souls to eat was taking its toll on the devil. Life was going _wonderfully_ for him. Not eating for the past week, getting multiple headaches- There, one just started! Great, now his horns itched…

Arthur's tail twitched irritably, its arrow shaped tip denting the ground with each stab. Green eyes narrowed, a (huge) eyebrow twitching. For God's sake, why was it so hard to find a good, honest, not corrupted soul to eat? Everyone these days were lying cheating bastards! Of course there were innocent children's souls, but even he wouldn't sink _that_ low.

Arthur rubbed his aching head and started walking again. He was thinking of giving up and just heading back to Hell to eat a damned soul when he sensed it. This soul was good, honest, kind… Delicious.

Arthur licked his lips, thinking that he found his next (and best) meal.

Alfred just wanted to be alone and play his fiddle. Everything that was going wrong was doing just that. His ranch was failing. His brother, Mathew, was dying. He could barely afford food for sickly Mathew and his daughter, Caroline. He pushed his glasses a little higher up his nose, sighing. The world was definitely full of lying idiots, but he wouldn't be tempted to join them. Nope, nuh-uh.

He rosined up his bow and slowly brought it across the strings. The tune was slow at first before becoming faster and faster, the notes cheery and light with the occasional dark note slipping in. Alfred smiled. Music was the only way to really escape his troubles. That, and the truth is, he was the best of the best.

Alfred could make even a professional fiddler look like a lad just beginning to play their first screeching notes. His fiddling was wanted everywhere, but when he wanted an honest dollar to feed his family it was always the same thing.

They would lie and say they didn't have much money. When he asked for a bit of bread, they claimed they had none. Being the kind hearted man he was, he always thought that the people would pay him eventually. He knew he was fooling himself. The world was lying to him.

The only honest thing he knew was music and the fiddle. The fiddle couldn't lie and laugh at him behind its back. Nope, just an honest to God song and he's happy.

Suddenly, a man with the most brilliant green eyes he'd ever seen (and the biggest eyebrows, but he wouldn't dare insult the stranger) jumped up on a hickory stump. Alfred's eyes landed on the man's horns and tail, briefly widening in shock.

"You ain't human, are ya? What's the devil want with me?" Alfred asked.

"Lad, let me tell you what," the devil grinned, "I bet you didn't know it, but I'm a fiddle player too. If you care to take a dare, I'll make a bet with you. You play a pretty good fiddle boy, but give the devil his due. I bet a fiddle of gold against your soul, because I think I'm better than you."

Alfred's eyes narrowed slightly as he thought about the offer. If he won, he would get a fiddle of gold. He could sell it, get the money to save his ranch and get better care for Mathew! Then the family would have a happier life.

_I think I'm better than you._

The words echoed around Alfred's head. No. He was the best fiddler, damnit! Devil or not, he'd prove anyone wrong!

"My name's Alfred and it might be a sin, but I'll take your bet. You're gonna regret it 'cause I'm the best there is!"

Arthur grinned. His next meal had foolishly walked into his hands. Glimmering emeralds met determined sapphire orbs, daring the young man. Alfred's eyes narrowed, silently excepting the challenge.

Grin widening, Arthur pulled open a fiddle case that had just appeared in a spit of flames. He rosined up his bow, fire flying from his finger tips, trying to hit Alfred's fiddle. Alfred had hid his fiddle behind a nearby bush when the devil finished rosining up.

He pulled the bow across the strings, causing an evil spitting hiss to crackle out. Alfred jumped back in shock as if he had been struck by lightning.

The first notes were ground out of the Devil's fiddle, dark notes making the air heavier. It was as if the world was going dark and all the rage, sadness, fear and hatred on Earth had gathered in the air.

No, Alfred wouldn't be intimidated. He stood his ground, small oceans boring into inhuman orbs.

The tune picked up, still dark and sinister as ever. The tempo caused the wind to whip around the two competitors. Suddenly, the shadows around them materialized, each wielding an instrument. The band of demons started to play, each adding their own sin to the mix.

The piano, dark and sharp, caused so much fear to creep into Alfred's heart. He wanted to run and never look back.

The guitar, shrill strumming rising on high, angered Alfred. How dare the devil try these tricks? His rage grew, eyes turning into blue flame. He calmed down, and tried to focus somewhere else.

Then that damned fiddle.

The music could only be described as pure evil. The world slowly turned black to Alfred, until it was just him and the devil. Arthur finished and smirked.

Usually, victims would have tried to run away by now. Arthur felt sadistic pleasure from watching the mortal squirm, trying to keep calm. Alfred picked up his fiddle with shaking hands.

Arthur had to give credit to this human, though. He was faced with demons and the devil, for God's sake! This human was so foolish. So, so foolish…

Arthur knew he was going to win. He always did. He was the best fiddler, even if humans dare try to win against him. Something was strange about this human though. Alfred didn't eye the Devil with greed at the mention of gold. He had absolutely _radiated_ hope and love.

How _disgusting._

Arthur hated those human emotions, even if they made the soul so much sweeter. What humans consider 'Good' emotions were like fermented sugar. It looked, smelled, and if eaten by itself, tasted _terrible_. If, however, eaten with the right soul, they became miracle sweetener.

Alfred started sawing on the fiddle right away; high notes a pleasure to anyone's ears.

But Arthur wasn't just anyone. He felt sick as the notes cleared the heavy air around them. The world became brighter and it was as if the sun had finally shown itself.

The notes suddenly became more complicated, too fast. Arthur tried to keep up, but even he had trouble. The world's happiness, sorrows, fears, hopes, _everything_ was put into one song. The world was showing itself, all the voices showing their colors.

The song was almost _human_, taking on a nature of its own.

The song represented the world.

_It was the world._

Arthur paled. He had never lost before. How could he compete with this lad though? He had entered the house of the rising sun, a place he swore never to enter again. It was too late.

Alfred finished, an aura of confidence and absolute victory clinging to him.

Arthur knew he had been beat. He laid the golden fiddle on the ground at Alfred's feet. "You won, lad. Go on and take your prize." Arthur growled.

"Devil, just come on back if you ever wanna try again," Alfred grinned smugly. "Cause I told you once, ya son of a bitch, I'm the best there ever is."

Arthur left Alfred, sinking into a pit of fire. He needed something to eat, and he needed it _now_.

Alfred smiled and gingerly took the gold fiddle in his hands. Life was just looking up for him. That, and he proved to the world that he was the best.

He won.

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**I'm so proud to have written this! TTuTT OMG, I love this~! Review? **


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